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1
APES REVIEW: 47 of the “140 WAYS TO GO APE(S)”
Put these facts on index cards. The underlined term or phrase goes on one side, and the
definition/explanation goes on the other
side.
1. High Quality Energy: organized & concentrated; can perform useful work (fossil
fuel & nuclear)
2. Low Quality Energy: disorganized, dispersed (heat in ocean or air wind, solar)
3. First Law of Thermodynamics: energy is neither created nor destroyed, but may
be converted from one form to another (Lawof Conservation of Energy)
4. Second Law of Thermodynamics: when energy is changed from one form to
another, some useful energy is always degraded into lower quality energy, usually
heat
5. Conservation: allowing the use of resources in a responsible manner
6. Preservation: setting aside areas and protecting them from human activities
7. Parts of the hydrologic cycle: evaporation, transpiration, runoff, condensation,
precipitation, infiltration
8. Aquifer: any water-bearing layer in the ground
9. Nitrogen fixing: because atmospheric N2 cannot be used directly by plants it
must first be converted into ammonia (NH3) by bacteria (rhizobium)
10. Ammonification: decomposers convert organic waste into ammonia
11. Nitrification: ammonia (NH3) is converted to nitrate ions (NO3)12. Assimilation: inorganic nitrogen is converted into organic molecules such as
DNA/amino acids & proteins
13. Denitrification: bacteria convert nitrate (NO3)- and nitrite (NO2)- back into N2
gas
14. Phosphorus does not circulate as easily as nitrogen because: it does not exist as a
gas, but is released by weathering of phosphate (PO4)3- rocks
15. Sustainability: the ability to meet the current needs of humanity without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs
16. How excess phosphorus is added to aquatic ecosystems: runoff of animal wastes,
fertilizer, discharge of sewage
17. Photosynthesis: plants convert atmospheric carbon (CO2) into complex
carbohydrates (glucose C6H12O6)
18. Aerobic respiration: O2-consuming producers, consumers & decomposers break
down complex organic compounds &
19. convert C back into CO2
20. Largest reservoirs of C: carbonate (CO3)2- rocks first, oceans second
21. Biotic and abiotic: living and nonliving components of an ecosystem
22. Producer/Autotroph: photosynthetic or chemosynthetic life
23. Fecal coliform /Enterococcus bacteria: indicator of sewage contamination
24. Energy flow in food webs: only 10% of the usable energy is transferred because
usable energy lost as heat (second law); not
25. all biomass is digested and absorbed; predators expend energy to catch prey
26. Carrying capacity: the number of individuals that can be sustained in an area
27. Doubling time: rule of 70; 70 divided by the percent growth rate
28. World Population: ~ 6.7 billion U.S. Population: ~ 305 million
29. First, second and third most populated countries: China, India, U.S.
30. Most important thing affecting population growth: low status of women
31. Ways to decrease birth rate: family planning, contraception, economic rewards
and penalties
32. Percent water on earth by type: 97.5% seawater, 2.5% freshwater
33. Ways to conserve water: agriculture = drip/trickle irrigation; industry =
recycling; home = use gray water, repair leaks, low
34. flow fixtures
35. 68. Point vs. non point sources: Point, from specific location such as a pipe.
Non-point, from over an area such as runoff
36. BOD: biological oxygen demand, amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic
decomposers to break down organic materials
37. . Eutrophication: rapid algal growth caused by an excess of nitrates (NO3)- and
phosphates (PO4)3- in water
38. Hypoxia: when aquatic plants die, the BOD rises as aerobic decomposers break
down the plants, the DO drops & the water cannot support life
39. Endangered species: a group of organisms in danger of becoming extinct if the
situation is not improved; population numbers have dropped below the critical
number of organisms; North spotted owl, Arctic polar bear, many others…
40. Invasive/Alien/Exotic species: non-native species to an area; often thrive and
disrupt the ecosystem balance examples :kudzu vine, purple loosestrife, African
honeybee ―killer bee‖, water hyacinth, fire ant, zebra mussel
41. The Tragedy of the Commons: (1968 paper by ecologist Garret Hardin) global
commons such as atmosphere and oceans
42. are used by all and owned by none
43. Transpiration – process where water is absorbed by plant roots, moves up
through plants, passes through pores (stomata) in leaves or other parts, evaporates
into atm. as water vapor
LEGISLATION: Note – original years of inception are included FYI
WATER
45. Safe Drinking Water Act: (SDWA, 1974) set maximum contaminant levels for
pollutants in drinking water that may have
adverse effects on human health
46. Clean Water Act: (CWA, 1972) set maximum permissible amounts of water
pollutants that can be discharged into
waterways; aims to make surface waters swimmable and fishable
47 Ocean Dumping Ban Act: (1988) bans ocean dumping of sewage sludge and
industrial waste in the ocean